Legend of Zelda: Dark Despair
By atfirstdawn and SA1NT4NG3R

*Mature content warning
*The Legend of Zelda is copyright of Nintendo

The peace that had reigned in Hyrule for hundreds of years had come to an end. Zant, the new king of the Twilight Realm had invaded Hyrule and laid siege to Hyrule Castle.

Countless brave Hylian soldiers had stood against Zant's fury and his legions of Shadow Beasts but none had managed to repel his invasion. It was then that Princess Zelda had been forced to make an impossible decision. Would she allow her kingdom to be destroyed by the fires of war, or would she surrender and allow Hyrule to fall under the domain of the Twilight?

Choosing the latter, Princess Zelda lay down her royal rapier as proof of her surrender and fled through a secret passageway within Hyrule Castle which led out into the chaotic streets of Castle Town. 

Everywhere Zelda cast her eye she saw brave Hylian soldiers and knights fighting against and falling to the might of Zant's Shadow Beasts. Zelda knew that the battle was already lost and felt an overwhelming sorrow for the lives lost and for the lives the kingdom had still yet to lose. Keeping to the many narrow back alleys of Castle Town, Zelda navigated her kingdom's crumbling capital town and finally emerged at the castle's drawbridge. Beyond the castle's walls were the numerous corpses of dead and dying soldiers, Zant's Shadow Beasts had moved on, leaving those who had not yet died to suffer alone in the darkness of night. Crossing the drawbridge as quickly as she could, Princess Zelda soon found herself navigating a careful and respectful path through the bodies of soldiers and knights that had bravely served her kingdom. 

"P-princess, ugh, princess!" pleaded a nearby soldier upon seeing his escaping Princess. 
 
Zelda knew that she could not help the brave and mortally wounded soldier but comforting him to ease his passing was the very least that she could do for him. Stepping over to the fallen soldier, Zelda crouched down beside him and took his hand in hers. 

"Princess, p-please, t-take this!" begged the soldier as his unsteady hand fumbled around his blood-soaked neck, "It will aid you!" 

With a shaking hand, the soldier pulled a small item from beneath his chainmail and pushed it towards Zelda. The item was a handmade whistle shaped like a horseshoe fashioned from a fragile yet beautiful white shell. The item was not regulation for soldiers, this brave man had made it himself out of the love for his country and now his Princess. 

"My Princess! I-I am s-sorry to have f-failed!" choked the soldier as his mournful expression froze and his body fell limp. 

Placing the whistle to her quivering lips, Zelda blew into it and moments later heard a horse galloping towards her. The horse had escaped all injury, it was obvious to Zelda that the soldier had ordered his horse to flee before the battle had started. Blowing the whistle once more to hurry the horse, Zelda ripped her dress from hem to thigh so that her legs would not be restricted while riding the soldier's horse. 

Within seconds Zelda had mounted the horse and began riding with haste towards Hyrule Field. 

Zelda knew her destination; The Sacred Grove of Faron Province. If the legends of old were true then within the Faron Province's Sacred Grove lay a sword, the Sword of Evil's Bane, the Master Sword. With that sword it was possible that Zelda could vanquish Zant and repel his invasion. 

As she rode into the wide open vista of Hyrule Field Zelda noted a series of dull red glyphs hanging in the sky. As she approached them on her journey towards the Faron Province the glyphs began to glow and from their middles began to drop a series of Shadow Beasts onto the land below. The Shadow Beasts were more of the same that had laid waste to Castle Town. 

The Shadow Beasts began to give chase as soon as they hit the ground, causing Zelda to veer violently left and right to avoid their vicious attacks. As she galloped through Hyrule field, Zelda crossed a narrow wooden bridge which told her that the border between Lanayru and Faron was close by, pushing the horse to gallop as fast as it could, Zelda soon found herself surrounded by trees and tall grass. She'd made it into Faron Woods. 

Zelda had never travelled so far from the walls of Castle Town, slowing her horse to a steady trot (aware that the Shadow Beasts were strangely no longer giving chase,) she continued forward in search of Faron's Sacred Grove. 

Elsewhere, the Usurper King had been watching the Princess's every move through the eyes of his Shadow Beasts. Watching her being hunted like a rodent animal. He commended her for her ability to go this far. A strong willed individual indeed, but it would not last. He turned to two more Shadow Beasts, and gave an order to ambush her in Faron, the beasts disappearing once they had received the order.

Back in Faron, Zelda had stopped off at a nearest source of water to rest both her and her horse. The journey had taken its toll on her, but now, she had a moment to catch her breath before continuing her journey. The horse happily sipped the clear waters while she slid down a tree, her mind still reeling with thoughts of her people, of what would happen to her kingdom. Although she wished to go back and save them, she knew that she could do nothing for them yet, not until she had the Blade of Evils Bane. Her mind kept on wandering, until the princess found herself slowly drifting off into an exhausted slumber.

Her rest was to be short lived. The princess awoke to the sound of the horse shrieking in the distance. Wasting no time she bolted up and ran towards the sound, wondering what had gotten the horse so spooked.

She soon had an answer. Two Shadow Beasts had pinned the horse down on its side, the distressed animal bucking and shaking to try and overcome the beast’s strength. Zelda stood on shock for a moment, taking a few steps back. They had found her, and it seemed like she could not escape no matter what she tried. A slight feeling of hopelessness washed over her, but she came to her senses when one of the beasts charged towards her. Without any more hesitation, the princess left for a deeper part of the woods.

Zelda had now hidden deep within the woods, the light barely penetrating the canopy. She hoped that the beasts would not be able to follow through the sheer number of thick trees. She huddled over a tree to catch her breath for a moment, but as she stood again, she heard a strange and unnerving sound, which appeared to be getting closer and closer.

Upon looking down, the princess found several Shadow Vermin approaching from every angle. No matter where she turned, they were there, and within moments they began to circle her. Zelda kicked one away after the other, but there were always two more to replace it, and it seemed she was fighting a losing battle.

The small creatures kept circling, seemingly taunting the girl for what seemed an eternity before they began to strike. Suddenly, the vermin remained completely still, almost as if they had been paralysed, but before Zelda could make any move, one of them launched towards her face. He covered her mouth and nose, holding itself in place with its tentacles. The princess frantically struggled to pull it off, gasping for a breath that wouldn't come, but the vermin was going nowhere.

Soon, the creatures swarmed the princess, climbing all over her, grabbing what they could. Zelda succeeded in betting a few of them away from her, but she was only delaying what was to come. One by one, her limbs found themselves restrained. Her legs were brought together, held by the creatures at the knees and ankles. Several creatures held her arms to her sides, unable to budge. Zelda kept on fighting for as long as she could, but her strength was slowly fading as she failed to draw a breath.

Soon, the creatures had her pinned to the ground, their tentacle like appendages rooting her in. Zelda's strength was fading, and her vision had become blurred, but she managed to catch a small glimpse of three figures approaching. Two, the beasts that hunted her, the other…..a very familiar figure, one she was dreading. This was all she saw before her world turned to darkness.

Princess Zelda awoke again soon after, her eyes fluttering open with some effort. Her vision was fuzzy at first, but soon cleared up, allowing her to assess her situation. She was no longer in Faron woods, the stone walls and metal bars that surrounded her told her that she was very fair indeed, within the dungeons of Hyrule castle in fact. But that was not all she noticed.

She felt something cold across her lips, muffling any sound she made. It would seem that her mouth had been sealed with a strange leather plate, with straps that buckled in several places, ensuring it would not be budged. Sighing, the princess looked up to see what state she had been kept in.

Looking up, she could see her arms stretched skyward, held in place by shackles chained to the ceiling. It was clear that they weren’t budging any time soon, yet she had no leeway to swing. Looking down, she could see why. Her legs, also stretched, were shackled and chained down to the floor, several feet below. The result left the princess stretch out, suspended in the air, with no way to move even the slightest inch.

Before long, her limbs started to ache in such a position, but there was no relief to be had. The princess instead tried to distract herself from the pain, turning her attention to the cell doors, which were slowly opening. Inside, stood more Shadow Beasts, and the Usurper King himself.

Zelda tried to watch their movements, but last sight when they slipped behind her. Zant stood in place for a moment, simply staring at the princess. It was clear that he had won for now, but it was time she knew it. Without warning, the king ripped one of the hair like tendrils from the beast, and held it in hand, eventually striking the princess as hard as possible.

The effects of the impact were instant. A sharp sting spread across the princesses back where she was struck, and a low, muffled groan escaped her. The burning sensation lingered sometime after the strike, but Zant was not done. One moment after another, the bound Princess was struck harshly. Her muffled groans grew louder, and her dress started to rip in each place she was struck.

By the end, her body had been all but broken. The dress she wore was ripped from the back, and the skin was red and raw. The king, finished for now, left her alone in her cell. Zelda hung, chained, beaten, and in some ways defeated. She wondered if this would be the end of her torment, or if it was just the beginning.